U of I boosts arena renovation budget, gives Groce a raise

CHICAGO — University of Illinois trustees have boosted the size of the budget for the State Farm Center renovation and given basketball coach John Groce a raise and contract extension.

Trustees meeting in Chicago on Thursday agreed to increase the budget for the arena work from $165 million to $169.5 million. The extra money is intended to cover additional costs related to a new scoreboard, video boards and other items.

Work on the arena has started and is expected to be finished in late 2016.

Groce's annual pay was increased by $100,000 a year to $1.7 million. The coach's contract was extended by a year through 2018-19.Groce has coached two seasons at Illinois and his teams have made the NCAA Tournament and the National Invitation Tournament.